Ole Miss Ekes out Victory over Washington State

October 14th, 2025

Ole Miss narrowly avoided a major (and embarrassing) upset on Saturday, edging out Washington State 24-21 in a surprisingly close contest that left fans and analysts confused.

Coming into the weekend, Ole Miss was undefeated, reigning over the SEC and ranked No. 4 nationally. Meanwhile, the Washington State Cougars brought a passable 3-2 to the gridiron, largely discounted after inconsistent showings in the PAC-12 and a lopsided 59-10 loss to North Texas earlier in the season.

This matchup was supposed to be a painless victory lap for Ole Miss, even though Saturday was a first-ever meeting between the programs. Moreover, Washington State was playing Ole Miss in Oxford, giving Ole Miss the advantage.

Ole Miss had already taken down powerhouses like LSU (24-19) and Kentucky (30-23), so a win against a PAC-12 school was only expected. While the PAC-12 includes respectable programs like San Diego State, Oregon State, and Utah State, it lacks the SEC’s aggressive reputation. Despite being statistically outmatched, the Cougars played like victors.

Ole Miss, expected to cruise, waffled instead. The Cougars kept the pressure on all game and pushed Ole Miss to commit numerous mistakes, nearly pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the season so far.

For Ole Miss, the narrow win should be a harsh wake-up call. While they salvaged their perfect record, Saturday’s performance raises questions about their consistency as they chase an SEC title. For Washington State, the loss drops them to 3-3, but they proved that the Cougars can hold their own against the best of the best.